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Dogs Can Detect Early Prostrate Cancer by Sniffing Patient’s Urine

A study published in the European Urology reported the efficacy of detection of prostrate cancer (PCa) by trained dogs. The animals would do this job by sniffing the urine samples of the patients.

Jean-Nicolas Cornu and the other researchers of the study observed that the volatiles organic compounds or VOCs, present in the urine act as cancer biomarkers. The researchers used a trained Belgian Malinois shepherd to sniff and recognize the urine of those who have PCa. Urine samples of 66 individuals was collected for the study. 33 subjects had cancer and the other 33 did not show any sign of cancer. The dog successfully detected the cancer samples of 30 patients out of 33.

The study shows that the dogs can be trained to smell the urine and efficiently detect the cancer. This also proves that the prostrate cancer produces a distinct urine odor. Identification of VOCs can lead to an effective screening tool for the prostrate cancer.